Bal Theatre

Here is an updated link to the 1946 Boxoffice article about the Bal Theatre.

@davidkaye: Because that’s the name of that neighborhood in San Leandro. (I’m from San Leandro originally, grew up there in the 60’s/70’s)

The Bal Theatre was designed by architect Vincent G. Raney. An article about it appeared in Boxoffice of September 14, 1946. There are four photos. The article mistakenly palces the Bal in Oakland.

Here is a somewhat vertiginous view of the Bal:
http://tinyurl.com/yavk7d5

Here is a January 1961 ad from the Hayward Review:
http://tinyurl.com/ctse5e

ok thank you, i see that you have taken recent shots of the theatre
have you been informed on what type of business is going to be inside of there?

I have also recently seen that there is now a Sold sign posted in one of the windows, i have also seen a few people walking in and out of the theatre from time to time. So is there any news on who has now purchased the Bal Theatre?

Did the name originate with the district or with the theatre? The San Leandro Times says the Bal Districts are of mostly post-WWII development. It’s easier to tell what came first in Fresno’s Tower District, for example, since the neighborhood is considerably older than the theatre from which it eventually got its current name.

Here is an article with several photos of the Bal, including some interior shots.

I haven’t been able to find how the theatre got its name, but what I have found is an online excerpt from a book called “Got a Revolution” which reveals that The Bal’s owner, Renny Lamarre, was also the manager of a young musician named Marty Buchwald and, not liking that surname, changed it to Balin, taking the first syllable from his Bal Theatre. Marty Balin then went on to fame as a member of the San Francisco band Jefferson Airplane.

Purely as speculation, I wonder if the theatre’s name was chosen because bal is the French word for ball, as in fancy-pants dance?

Here are links to several articles regarding The Bal Theatre

It’s legal troubles over showing “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” in 2001
View link

It’s conversion to showing Indian Bollywood films in 2004
View link

The Bal Theatre is still closed. The poster display window has a Bollywood Film poster still in it. The last I heard the Lobby had been painted garrish colors during the run of “Rocky Horror”

I remember seeing ‘Journey To The Center Of The Earth’ at the Bal many years ago. They had the best 4 track stereo surround system in the 50’s and 60’s. Someone needs to reopen the place. Book movies from the 50’s, get the seniors to come, make it like the old days. People are tired of the multiplex experience. The Lorenzo is about to be re opened one day.

The Bal is a beautiful theatre. I wonder what happened to the beautiful blue curtain that graced the stage. The interior is a little water damaged, but the murals are intact and beautiful. I remember as a kid, there was a supermarket called LoRays that gave free passes for movies on Sat and Sun afternoons and the place was packed. The interior is a long wide auditorium, single floor, but starts to slope up in the back slightly for about 15 rows. The screen is big and the sound system is terrific. I wish I could win the lottery and just run the Bal. It had a beautiful neon sign that would flash in red and blues, you could see it all the way down East 14th Street. Only drawback was parking. There used to be a little coffee shop right next to the Bal, that made great hamburgers and back then you had to be 18 to play pinball, but the lady would let you play the one she had as long as you put money in the juke box. Ah, the memories!